Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-10-17

dian Pacific Route From st. Paul Z"
the Pacific.
SEPTEMBER 90, 1887.
To the Editor Of the Republic:
Believing that the Puget Sound region Is
to most OF your readers as yet An unex-
plored country, have thrown into the
form of letter few impressions have
formed OF it. and q fuller description OF the
route BY which it is reached-the wonder
full new Canadian Pacific railway.
Leaving Springfield IN the evening Of
September 10, via the l.. B.
W. and arriving in St. Paul, Mimi, on the
morning OF the 2lst l met our fellow
|townsman. Mr.. VIM. Dickson, and Mr.. W. 7.
Harper of Mansfield, Ohio. We Joined
the great excursion for Victoria. b. C.. via
the Canadian Pacific railway. concerning
which the Century for May contains IN
interesting article. We left st. Paul at
80 D. IN. on special train OF ten coaches,
consisting Of palace sleepers. colonist
sleepers. dining and baggage cars and car
rying over three hundred passengers. This
line is splenddly eIuipped. The sleeping.
parler and dining cars are perfect In all
their appointments. The colonist slespers
are also Handsomely finished on the gen
eral plan Of ordinary sleeping cars and are
| b, ight and comfortable. A few minutes
after leaving St Paul We arrived at the
splendid union depot OF Minneapolis.
where the train stops five minutes. and We
are of for the Northwest Two hours
later and the S26 passengers are comfort
ably tucked in their little beds, most of
them sound asleep. When the daylight
again appears We are well out on the broad
rrairi. county. and all day We are passing
through the great wheat-growiDg sec
ton Of Northwest Minnesota. where
for mites anc miles the country on either
side of the road As far rs the eye can reach
/ is one vast wheat field: large portion OF
the grain is still in shock. harvest heing
much later here than in Ohio. At4o1ock
D. m we passed through the hands Of Gus
tom officers at Emerson. an the border. and
were in Canada. About p. IN. we arrived
at Wipnipeg. the capital OF Manitoba.
where our train stopped an hour ana haf.
We were struck with the neat and substan-
tiaI appearsnce Of the town. its wide, clean
and well paved streets, and its apparent
thrift. Although but young city 1t has
population of about so 900.
Leaving Memphis at $50 .. m We passed
over broad. level country. not a prairie
country but rather widening OF the val
lies Of the Red and AssinibOine rivers,
hich unite at Winnipeg. Passing on for
a hundred and thirty miles We reached
Brardon. which. although but hve years
old, is. next to Winnipeg, the largest town
in the Canadian northwest. Leaving Brand
on We are said to have reached the "hrst
Of the great prairie steppes that rise one
af; er the other at long intervals to the
Rocky Mountains " With the approach OF
the morning was surprised at the appear
ance OF the country: it was not the vast.
dreary. desert waste mad pseh
led TO expect, bat country beau
tifu,iy rolling and everywhere covered
with the short, thick buffalo grass. the finest
I'm the world for stock. Frequent ponds
and lakes are passed where wild ducks and
geese are numerous. At Indian Head. 325
miles west of Winnipeg. We pass through
the celebrated Bell farm. embracing l00
square miles. where wheat-growing Is car
ried on with the most thorough organization
and system. This Is also the headquarters
Of the Qu'Appelle Indian agency. when
our long train stopped the blanket-clah red
skins poked their heads out Of their numer
ous coue-.haped tents. and then slowly
emerged from them and gazed at the army
Of pale faces that swarmed about them.
Our next stop Of importance is at Regina
q place Of about 1000 inhabitants and the
capital of AsslnibOia. This is also the
heaTouarters Of the Indian service and OF
the Northwest mounted police. uniformed
force Of about |. 900 strong .Ihey are sta
Toned throughout the uOrthwest at the ex-
panse of the Dominion. to keep erde.
among the Indians and to prevent the sell
ing of liquor forbidden by law. This Is
also the place where the half-breed Reil ana
his Indian associates were executed by the
government. Moving rapidly on we pass
Moosejaw Swift Current and other sta
tions. arriving at I g. III. at Medicine HAT.
at the crossing Of South Saskatchewan.
where steel bridge 1.0l0 feet IN length
spsus the stream. Coal and iron are
abundant in this neighborho"d. With the
mi rning light We approach Gleichen. Here
we 1et our first view Of the Rockies. with
their snOw-cappad peaks cleaning
| in the sunlight. Two hours later We Ar
arrived at Calgary. the capital OF Alberta.
| thriving town Of 1000 population. 3.3ss
feet above sea level. aud beautifully Sit
uated near the junction Of the Bow and
Elbow rivers Here We have fine view OF
the Rockies. just outside the foothills.
but the snowy crags are yet forty miles
away Only a stop OF few minutes Is
made while We change engines. Two pow
-rful locomotives are here attached To our
train and we are whirled away at the rate
Of forty miles an hour. Approaching Kan
| auaskia the scenes are rapidly CHANGING.
The valleys narrow into broken raVines,
the mountains begin to close around US
few miles farther and We arrive at The
Gap" rocky gateway, through which the
Bow river runs.
As We move on wonders increase. SO that
admiration and sstonishment are ever Oh
the ascending scale. A variety when
never sal ates, an infinite change. through
gorge and canyon-iost from the hght-np
to heights where the trees below are mere
dots.
At Canmore. l. go feet above the sea. we
change engines and on we 60 past the
Three Sisters" Mount Cascade. with its
narrow cascade. lS0O feet high: Castle
Mountain, turreted, battlemented. ready
for seige.
At Laggan. altitude 4. $50 feet, We change
engines. and have attached TO the train ell
gine No 3l5, ninety tons weight. one Of
the most powerful engines In the world, and
through the courtesy OF Superintendent
i Niblock, who is with US. | am invited Ia
take seat on the pilot of the engine N"w
comes the grandest of all. From this po>i-
ton we are afforded an opportunity of view
ing the scenery to the very best advantage.
and with the pleasant and courteous Mr..
NiblOck at my side. pointing here and thrr-
to features OF particular interest, and ex-
planning to me the difficult engineering
features of this point and that curve, l am
permitted to enjoy one of the graHdest
rides it is possible to have upon the CONT
nent or perhaps in the world. As we neal
the summit. our attention is directed to a
post standing on our left. which marks the
dividing line between Alberta and British
Columbia.
Arriving at the summit We pass small
lake on our left. from which the water flows
in two directiOns-wesf TO the Pacihc and
east to the Atlantic. We stop at Stephen.
a small station which marks the summit OF
the Rocky mountains. We descend with
the little stream and watch II grow into a
boiling torrent. dashng and leapng through